“Outlander” took Sam Heughan‘s character Jamie Fraser to some dark places in its first season, but the actor relished the challenge.

The brutal sexual assault of Jamie by Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies) played out in discomfiting detail on screen. It was the season’s darkest scene, by a long shot, but Heughan believes it was necessary and not gratuitous.

“We didn’t want to do something that was graphic or hard to watch,” he told TheWrap. “It was about understanding what Jamie’s gone through so we know where he is the rest of the season and subsequent seasons.”

On top of answering TheWrap’s Emmy Contender Quickie questions, Heughan detailed his experience filming the controversial sexual assault scenes, what it’s been like returning to film the show’s second season amid Emmy buzz, and why Season 2 feels like a very different show from Season 1.

Sexual assault being depicted on TV has been a hot button issue lately. “Game of Thrones” had aired its controversial episode before the “Outlander” finale. Did that make you guys nervous about what you were doing and was there ever any discussion of changing or toning things down?
I was aware that they had done that episode, I finally caught up with it. I enjoyed the episode, I’m a big fan of the show, and it was interesting what they did with it. Playing the whole thing off someone’s face — off [Alfie Allen’s] Reek’s face — was really clever.

We were very aware of what we were doing. We spent a lot of time rehearsing it, discussing what we want the audience to see and to feel. The writers and directors were heavily involved. And I know [showunner] Ron [Moore], in the edit, he’s got a great sense of taste and didn’t want to show more than he was comfortable with watching. And certainly we were the same. We didn’t want to do something that was graphic or hard to watch. It was about understanding what Jamie’s gone through so we know where he is the rest of the season and subsequent seasons.

Ultimately that episode, for us, was not just about being raped. It was about the torture beforehand, it was about this mental chess game that they’re playing, and then obviously this horrific thing that happens to Jamie, but also afterwards — Jamie, not broken. His body maybe, but his mind isn’t.

That’s what Black Jack Randall sees in Jamie, that he needs to break his mind, he needs to break that resilience that Jamie’s got — and the resilience is his love for Claire [Caitriona Balfe]. That’s sort of the core of Jamie’s fortitude and strength. That’s what makes it really interesting, I think. Just having a rape is certainly not interesting for anyone. It’s more about the mental battles going on between these men.

But it was also important that we dealt with that subject in a careful way, so the aftermath of what happens to Jamie, how he recovers from that or doesn’t recover from it. Yeah, it’s pretty tough material.

What sort of response have you gotten from viewers about those scenes?
The reaction has been better than we could have ever imagined. I was certainly a little nervous about seeing what people thought of it. We’ve had just really positive reaction from everyone. And there have also been people who have suffered — former or been through similar circumstances and they’ve said the portrayal was accurate and I think that’s what we can hope for, that people think that it’s authentic.

In terms of the Emmy and awards buzz for the show, what has that been like? When did you guys realize the show was beloved by both fans and critics?
I still don’t know if that’s true or not. I don’t really understand it all, and you certainly don’t think about that when you’re shooting. If the show were to receive any sort of recognition we would be over the moon and delighted, especially for our first season and being a new show. I would love for the show to win something, but we’ve won a lot of fan awards and that’s ultimately all we can ask for. That the fans enjoy it and people keep tuning in and word of mouth spreads and the show builds its fanbase. But yeah, send us all your Ginger Awards, that would be lovely.

What’s it been like going back to do Season 2?
I was definitely very, very excited — we all were — to come back to the show. It feels like an old family and everyone’s there, but it feels familiar, which is wonderful. But it’s also different because the show has grown, we’ve moved locations, obviously, the story’s moved to France. And there’s all these things that happened at the end of the season that affects our characters and relationships. So coming back has been very interesting and sort of unsettling but also welcome.

It’s all playing into the show. It’s very much about the characters working out where they are in this world, with all this new information they’ve found out about Claire being pregnant, and what happened to Jamie and the trauma. So yeah, I don’t really know quite where they will end up, it’s very exciting. It’s just a completely different story.

So how’s filming been going? What episode are you on?
We’re almost finished — we’ve been filming three episodes at the same time, the first three, so that’s had its own difficulties, but it’s been great. It’s a very different world. We’re in the French court, about as far as you can get from the highlands of Scotland. There’s some crazy new characters. It looks magnificent, the show looks incredible, and just trying to find where Jamie and Claire fit into that world, is exactly the kind of journey they’re having. They’ve escaped Scotland and everything that happened there, but the reason that they’re there in France is to stop Cullodon, which is this big battle which ends up with the extermination of the highland culture, so they’re there for a reason. Yeah, it just gets very complicated.

Have you filmed any amazing scenes yet or are there any that you’re looking forward to filming?
We have. We were shooting up on the East Coast of Scotland, which doubled for the French sea court, and it’s pretty much the opening of the show in Season 2. There’s some incredible location work, we had lots of boats there and the French harbor… We’ve got some terrific French cast, lots of French actors, some quite famous, are in the show. It just feels very different. It feels like an epic sort of journey that we’re on,on the show. It’s such n interesting time period too. The end of 1744, 1745, so it’s a really interesting time, we’re so close to revolution. Yeah, it’s been great.

Bloody House of Stark Murders, "Game of Thrones"The infamous June 2013 scene involved the deaths of Lady Catelyn Stark, her son "King of the North" Robb and his pregnant wife, Talisa, at the hands of Lord Walder Frey and his brood. The bloody massacre was revenge on House Stark for Robb opting out of marrying one of Frey's daughters.

Matthew Crawley's Death, "Downton Abbey"In the Season 3 finale, Dan Steven's character Matthew Crawley died in a brutal car crash after leaving the hospital where his wife had just given birth. His death was considered especially controversial because he cited a "desire for freedom" for choosing to leave the show.

Captain Kirk and Lt. Uhura's Kiss, "Star Trek"History was made on Nov. 22, 1968 when the show featured TV's first interracial kiss between Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols).

Edith Bunker's Assault, "All in the Family"In a 1977 episode of the sitcom, a man posing as a police detective attempted to sexually assault Edith (Jean Stapleton) on her 50th birthday. Such a scandalous scene had never been portrayed on TV before.

CBS

Murder of Lizzie Samuels, "The Walking Dead"In a heartbreaking March 2014 scene, Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) killed 12-year-old Lizzie Samuels (Brighton Sharbino). The two shared a mother-daughter closeness, until Lizzie drew a gun on her. A weepy Carol drove them to a field, told Lizzie to look at some flowers, then shot the girl in the back of the head.

Maude's Abortion, "Maude"Bea Arthur's character Maude Findlay and her husband ended her unexpected pregnancy. The 1972 episode entitled "Maude's Dilemma" aired several months before the decisive Roe v. Wade ruling made abortion legal in the U.S.

Stabler Kills Teen Girl, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"Detective Elliot Stabler made an unexpected exit from "SVU" in Season 12 finale when star Christopher Meloni couldn't reach new contract terms. In the 2011 episode, Stabler shot and killed a teen girl who opened fire in his team's squad room. His PTSD from the killing was used as exit story.

Bill and Lorena's Hate Sex, "True Blood"Stephen Moyer and Mariana Klaveno characters Bill and Lorena had bizarre romp in 2010. Bill even turned Lorena's head 180 degrees to prevent her from looking at him. Lorena smiled, as a bit of blood spilled out of her mouth.

Cannibalism of Stookey's Leg, "The Walking Dead" Bob Stookey (Lawrence Gillard Jr.) woke up in a 2014 episode to discover his leg had been amputated and was grilling on a nearby barbecue. This disturbing act made worse when he was told, "If it makes you feel any better, you taste much better than we thought you would."

Gladys Gets Stoned to Death, "The Leftovers"During an extremely violent scene in 2014, Marceline Hugot's character Gladys was stoned to death while strapped to a tree. She was a member of the cult-like group called Guilty Remnant.

Mona's Murder, "Pretty Little Liars"Fans of "PLL" know the show thrives on plot twists, but no one anticipated the murder of one of Mona Vanderwaal (Janel Parrish). She was slayed in her home during Season 5's midseason finale in 2015. The bloody scenes were capped with a final look at Mona's body in a trunk, eyes wide open and skin pale.

Sansa Stark's Sexual Assault, "Game of Thrones"In a 2015 episode, Sansa Stark suffered a degrading sexual assault at the hands of new husband, Ramsay Bolton, on their wedding night. He also made another Theon Greyjoy watch the encounter. Critics condemned the scene and show as promotion of violence against women.

Who Shot J.R.?, "Dallas"In the Season 3 finale in 1980, oil tycoon J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) was shot outside of his office and spawned popular catchphrase "Who shot J.R.?" Fans waited 8 months to find out the answer, while a media frenzy ensued over whodunnit. His sister-in-law and mistress Kristin Shepard (Mary Crosby) was ultimately revealed as the shooter.

Rosalind Shays' Elevator Shaft Death, "L.A. Law"In arguably one of the most memorable moments on TV, a character in "L.A. Law" was offed in an abrupt manner. Diana Muldaur earned two Emmy nods for her role as Rosalind Shays, but the character received a less than honorable exit by falling down an elevator shaft to her death in 1991.

NBC

Kimberly Shaw Rips Off Wig to Reveal Scar, "Melrose Place"Dr. Kimberly Shaw (Marcia Cross) was presumed dead after a car accident caused by her cheating boyfriend, viewers saw a terrifying scene in 1993's Season 2 finale. The very much alive character stood in front of a mirror and dramatically ripped off her red wig, revealing a nasty scar across the side of her head.

FOX

Adriana La Cerva Gets Popped, "The Sopranos"When Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo) was discovered as an FBI informant, a mobster drove her into a field under false pretenses and shot her to death as she tried to crawl away from him on a 2006 episode. The moment was as shocking to viewers as it was to her - she thought she headed to hospital to see her long-time fiancé, who attempted suicide.

HBO

Roseanne's Fictional Lottery Season, "Roseanne"Fans were unhappy at show's direction after the Conner family found happier days in a winning lottery ticket. Those fans got what they wanted in the series finale when it was revealed that Roseanne had been writing about her life all season and tweaking a few details. The biggest twist in her fictional writing - besides no lottery ticket - is that husband Dan (John Goodman) had actually died of the heart attack he suffered at his daughter's wedding a season prior.

ABC

George O'Malley's Death, "Grey's Anatomy"In 2009, T.R. Knight opted to leave the Shonda Rhimes drama, but his character George's exit stands as one of the most unforgettable moments of the series. When a disfigured John Doe is brought into Seattle Grace after being hit by a bus while pushing a woman out of the way from it, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) checks on him. Doe, who is actually O'Malley, eventually succeeds in writing "007" on Meredith's hand, and shocked, she realizes Doe's identity. After she informs the surgeons it's George, he's rushed to surgery but he flatlines and is ultimately declared brain dead.

ABC

Cersei Incestuous Rape, "Game of Thrones"In 2014, Jaime Lannister forced himself onto his sister Cersei. The worst part - it was beside the tomb of their dead son Joffrey.

HBO

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TheWrap looks back at some of the most controversial scenes in TV history

Bloody House of Stark Murders, "Game of Thrones"The infamous June 2013 scene involved the deaths of Lady Catelyn Stark, her son "King of the North" Robb and his pregnant wife, Talisa, at the hands of Lord Walder Frey and his brood. The bloody massacre was revenge on House Stark for Robb opting out of marrying one of Frey's daughters.